Extensible rack



(No Model.)

E. W. LEACH. EXTENSIBLE RACK.

No. 526,450. Patented Sept. 25, 1894.

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mic Qmf a 4 1 5Y%6i@wfl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE W. LEAOH, OF BAOINE, WISCONSIN.

EXTENSIBLE RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,450, dated September 25, 189-4.

Application filed October 19, 1893. Serial No. 488,589. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LEUGENE W. LEACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, county of Racine, State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Extensible Racks; and Ideclare the following. to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in the construction of extensible racks for towels and analogous articles, and my said invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims. t

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device showing the same in its extended position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing it in its closed position. Fig.3is a detail view illustrating the construction of the friction hinge upon which my improved device is supported. Fig. 4 is a detail View illustrating a different form of device for locking the rack in its adjusted position. Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the connection between the towel rods or rungs and the frame. Fig. 6 illustrates still another form of connection.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A designates a suitable supporting block which is conveniently provided with a vertical rearface, and an oblique outer face, in the manner shown in the drawings. Suitable eyes are secured to the rear face of the block A convenient to construct the hooks O0 in the manner shown more particularly in Fig. 3, with screw-threaded shanks, and upwardly extending tapered extremities c c which are adapted to enter the screw-eyes and are made sufficiently large at their bases to wedge themselves into the screw-eyes by the weight of the rack carried thereby, and thus form a friction hinge between the block A and the supporting hooks. V

The frame for the support of the towels or other articles is constructed somewhat on the ordinary lazy tongsprinciple, being composed of parallel bars D D and D D which are pivotally engaged with each other at their extremities d d, and at their centers as at d d. Transverse rods or rungs E E are passed through the intersections of the bars D D and D'D in the manner shown, and are arranged pivoted bars, said transverse rods or rungs forming supports for the towels or otherarticles, and also forming the pivotal connections between the bars D D and D D.

' The transverse rods E E may be held in engagement with the rack bars in any desired or convenient manner, as for instance, by means of suitable flanged collars e e, which are slipped over said rods and arranged with their flanges in' engagement 'with opposite sides of the pivoted rack bars, as shown more particularly in Fig. 5. If desired, however, these transverse rods may be secured in position by means of suitable brads e 6 passed transversely therethrough and engaged with the outside faces of the pivoted bars, or as shown in Fig.6, one of said brads 6 may be passed through one of the bars and into the transverse rod so as to unite said rod and said bar, and theother brad 8 simply passed through the transverse rod and arranged to bear against the outer face of the other pivoted bar. When the flanged collars e e are employed, they may be secured to the trans verse rods by means of brads or tacks, or may be pricked onto the transverse rods, in a familiar manner.

The extensible rack composed of the bars D D and D D is secured to the supporting block A in any suitable or desired manner, conveniently in the manner illustrated in the drawings, one of the bars, D being secured rigidly to the oblique front edge of the supporting block A, and arranged to extend somewhat below the central part of the rack. A short bar D is pivotally engaged at one end as at 01 with the lower extremity of the innerto extand equidistant upon both sides of said I describes an arc of a circle and as the rack is extended will tend to elevate the forward end of the rack, in an obvious manner, untilsaid rack assumes a substantially horizontal position.

locking the device in its extended position,"as for instance, the device showninFigs. 1 and 2, of the drawings, which comprises a bar]? pivotally connected at f with one'of'the trans verse bars E, and provided withon'eo'r more notches f in its lower edge for engagement with a suitable stop screw or shoulder F on the supporting block A. When the rack is in its extended position, the appropriate notch f in the barFisengaged with the stop screw'F in the manner shown, and the bar F thereby serves to 'securely hold the rack' in its adj nsted position. When the rack is closed as in Fig. 2, the first one of said notchesf is'engaged with the screw F so as to prevent the rack from being extended. T I

As many intermediate notches f may be employed as desired,-so as to afford any desired adjustment of the rack between the extremes of its extension 'andcompression. If desired, however, any other'meansfor locking the rack in its adjusted position-may be employed, as for instance, asshown'in- Fig." 4 of the drawings, abolt G may be passed through the pivotal connection between the'bar D and the rigid bar D said bolt-bein g provided with a suitable washer g arrangedtobear against said bar D and a clamping thumb nut G having screw-threaded enga'gementwith said bolt whereby, by an adjustment of saidnut, said parts may be clamped together so as to retain the extensible rack in any desired position.

By my improved construction I am enabled to provide a rack for towels and similar ar- Any suitable means may be employed for ticles, which, by the double arrangement of the transverse supporting rods, has capacity, when extended, for holding a large number of articles, while said rack, when compressed together, is very compact.

for supporting the block A and the parts carried thereby, the device is rendered sufficiently stable in any position to which it may be adjusted, by reason of the frictional engagement or wedging action of the tapered supporting hooks within the eyes B B, while by reason of said construction, the rack is rendered readily removable from the supports, when desired.

' Having'thus described my invention, what I' claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent "or the United States, is luAtowel rack comprising a suitable sup- "porting block," alazy' tongs having one of its endbars rigidly secured in an oblique position to'saidsupporting block, and'the other one ofits end bars pivoted thereto, horizontal supporting rods or rungs extending transv'ersely through the 'several' intersections of the bars of sai'd'lazy tongs, suitable means for holding said transverse rods or rungs in engagementwith said bars, and suitable means for locking saidlazy tongs in its adjusted positions, substantially as described.

2. A towel rack' comprising a suitable supporting block provided with a vertical rear face, and an oblique front face an extensible lazy tongs having one of its end bars rigidly secured to the oblique forward edge of said supporting block and extending below the center of the lazy'tongs, a short bar pivotally secured to the lower part of said block, and to the lower end of one bar of the lazy tongs, horizontal supporting rods or rungs extending transversely through the intersections of the bars of said lazy tongs, and suitable means for pivotally engaging the vertical rear face of the supporting block with a wall or other support, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence oftwo witnesses.

. M EUGENE W. LEAOH.

Witnesses:

L. E. HALL,

F. M. ROBERTS.

' By the described construction of the hinges, 

